Press Releases

Safety curricula for students in grades K-12 encourage walking and active lifestyle choices

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced the results of this year’s “We’re Walking Here” competition, with P.S. 90/Edna Cohen School, Coney Island, Brooklyn; P.S. 1 Tottenville School, Staten Island; and P.S. 307/Pioneer Academy, Corona, Queens; earning first, second and third place, respectively. The Little Red School House/LREI, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, and H.S. 721 OTC, Gravesend, Brooklyn, received honorable mentions. These winning schools submitted public service announcements (PSA) that encourage walking and active lifestyle choices, and will be integrated into next year’s curricula The competition also builds on the City’s Vision Zero efforts, which aim to educate New Yorkers about our shared responsibility in street safety. Click on the video images below to watch them.

“With these videos, New York City students are helping raise the curtain on how we all can do our part to walk, share our streets and make them safer in every community,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We are so proud of these winners and the work by nearly 100 schools that participated in this citywide program.”

The competition launched last October in conjunction with International Walk to School Day. It is open to all New York City schools. Those that participate download lesson plans and grade-specific curricula developed by DOT’s Safety Education and Outreach division. The first place winner for this year’s competition receives a $1,000 grant. The second place school receives $750 and a $500 prize is awarded to the third place school.

The winning videos are the culmination of two-week walking tallies by the classes and the completion of other academic exercises that help students recognize the benefits of active transportation and give them the tools to share what they learn with others. All prize money is provided by the Safe Streets Fund, a private-public partnership dedicated to promoting even safer streets, especially among students.

Interested schools can now pre-register for next year’s “We’re Walking Here” competition by visiting nyc.gov/walkingschools. DOT’s safety education and outreach programs, including this contest, are important components to Vision Zero. They complement the City’s engineering and enforcement initiatives as part of this multi-agency effort. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dot or nyc.gov/visionzero.